Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical assistant

The differences between medical office administrative assistants and clinical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a medical office administrative assistant and a clinical assistant. Additionally, a medical office administrative assistant has an average salary of $33,856, which is higher than the $30,215 average annual salary of a clinical assistant.

The top three skills for a medical office administrative assistant include patients, CPT and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical assistant are patients, customer service, and PET.

Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical assistant overview

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Clinical Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,856	$30,215
Hourly rate	$16.28	$14.53
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	136,278	101,926
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical office administrative assistant do?

Medical Office Administrative Assistants are responsible for providing administrative support to a medical facility. Their duties include documenting case histories through patient interviews, updating patient health records, scheduling appointments, processing insurance claims adhering to legal regulations, assisting patient paperwork, and managing receivables and payables accounts. They also attend to patient inquiries and assist nurses and doctors with test scheduling, supplies ordering, and medical examinations. Medical Office Administrative Assistants use medical software to process transactions and keep abreast with changes in insurance and medical legislation.

What does a clinical assistant do?

A clinical assistant is responsible for assisting medical professionals with medical procedures and ensure a high level of patient care. Clinical assistants perform minor clinic procedures such as taking patients' temperature, sterilizing medical equipment, proper dumping of disposable items, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, processing payments, arranging appointment schedules, and maintaining an organized record of patients' information, such as their medical history and health insurance records. A clinical assistant must strictly adhere to sanitary and hygienic procedures at all times to promote a safe and clean environment for the patients.

Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical assistant salary

Medical office administrative assistants and clinical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Clinical Assistant
Average salary	$33,856	$30,215
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $13,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	Brockton, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between medical office administrative assistant and clinical assistant education

There are a few differences between a medical office administrative assistant and a clinical assistant in terms of educational background:

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Clinical Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical assistant demographics

Here are the differences between medical office administrative assistants' and clinical assistants' demographics:

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Clinical Assistant
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4%	Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 9.3% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between medical office administrative assistant and clinical assistant duties and responsibilities

Medical office administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files according to HIPAA regulations, and implement log books to automate patient records management.
Provide front and back office support for surgeons by administratively managing and monitoring patients.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Prepare employee schedules, assist with patient triage, assist with cosmetic and medical procedures as needed.
Verify and process patient insurance coverage and handle tasks relate to insurance information of patients.
Recommend and/or initiate patient management in cases of acute distress with medications, laboratory orders and initiation of CPR when necessary.

Clinical assistant example responsibilities.

Participate in multiple studies managing CTM activities for various therapeutic areas simultaneously including oncology, urology, transplant, and immunology.
Interview patients and interpret EKG recordings transmit via telephone.
Maintain CPR certification on yearly basis and perform errands as per the instructions of supervisor.
Act as a paramedic including CPR, heart defibrillator, first aid, emergency care.
Schedule necessary test such as nerve conductions studies, bone scans, and MRI's.
Conduct mini-meetings with small groups of doctors to encourage them to take ownership of their EMR forms.

Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical assistant skills

Common medical office administrative assistant skills

Patients, 32%
CPT, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Patient Appointments, 4%
Phone Calls, 4%
Insurance Verification, 4%

Common clinical assistant skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 10%
PET, 8%
Vital Signs, 6%
CPR, 3%
Phlebotomy, 3%

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Medical Office Administrative Assistant
Medical Office Administrative Assistant vs Clinical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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